Sasha and K
aden just finished a busy weekend at the WPATH Global Education Initiative in Portland. We spent September 7-9 at the Collaborative Life Sciences Building on the OHSU Campus, hearing the latest from experts on gender affirmative medical procedures and supportive mental health and counseling.
In addition to learning more about HRT, gender affirming surgery, and comprehensive clinical assessment, we spent time discussing the WPATH Standards of Care 7 and how best to support trans and gender-diverse youth and adults.
For the special section on Sunday, we opted for the child and adolescent workshops, and got even more training in comprehensive clinical assessment and fertility counseling. It was great to network with other professionals from around Oregon and across the country, including surgeons, primary care physicians, and other mental health professionals.
It was a busy weekend with 19.5 contact hours, but it was worth it— especially for the learning and networking opportunities that are going to help us support transgender and gender-fabulous children, youth, and adults. We feel even more prepared now to write letters, conduct comprehensive assessments, and support kids and their families in reaching for the changes they want with full understanding of the possible effects. We’re hoping to put this learning to use in Portland, elsewhere in Oregon, and beyond! Trans and gender non-conforming adults, youth, and their parents deserve the very best in multidisciplinary care, and we’d like to help them get the best mental health and educational services possible.